Our Five Favorite St Martin Restaurants

The beef tartare here is so good. It's hard to really tell in this picture, but the portion is huge!
by Katherine // 2 Comments

One of the big differentiators between St. Martin and other Caribbean islands is the food.  St. Martin is known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean and any traveler there would be missing out if they don’t enjoy some of the wonderful restaurants.  We did our best to continue to try new restaurants in St Martin on both of our trips and we succeeded by only repeating one restaurant (La Belle Epoque).

If you are looking for places to eat in St. Martin, check out this list of our favorites restaurants.

Note: This post includes affiliate links.  See disclosure for more information.

The Best St. Martin Restaurants

We used our Fodor’s Guide Book and chats with locals to help us find the best places to eat in St. Maarten/St.Martin. One consistent theme we found was that the portions at most St Martin restaurants were quite generous, so we were able to share, which helps keep costs down.   

We also noticed that some St. Maarten restaurants would use a 1 to 1 exchange rate for dollars and euro if you used cash – so you might want to also bring some dollars along.

While Grand Case, St. Martin is far and away the culinary mecca of the island, there are also delicious restaurants in other areas.  We tried some great restaurants during our two trips, but here are the five (in no particular order) best restaurants in St. Martin that we visited:

Sol y Luna

We went to Sol y Luna during our second trip to St. Martin.  This restaurant was located on the road on the way back to our vacation rental (the Mont Vernon).  Anisa had read about the restaurant, and despite the description that it is one of the most romantic places in the Caribbean, we decided to try it.  I am so glad that we did! 

The restaurant itself is gorgeous and very romantic.  From the moment you walk past the plunge pool at the entrance, you feel more relaxed.  The restaurant is part of a boutique hotel, and it is very beautiful.  Our dinner was quite fantastic (we shared the shrimp and scallops), and after our meal, they offered us an after dinner shot of flavored rum.  I went with the vanilla rum and it was quite delicious!

Shrimp and scallops - "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
Shrimp and scallops

Calmos

We had a delicious lunch on the Grand Case Beach at Calmos.  The atmosphere here is very laid back and relaxed, but the food is equivalent to what you would get at a fancy restaurant.  We sat at a picnic table that was on a pier on the beach and enjoyed a nice, relaxing lunch.  We shared cod fritters, a tartare sampler, and a tropical salad.  It was plenty of food.

This was one of the more casual Grand Case restaurants and one of the few (excluding lolos – more on this later) that was open for lunch.  If you are not going to be able to have dinner in Grand Case, I would highly recommend lunch at Calmos.  Also, if you have children in tow, this restaurant would be a great way to be able to enjoy a delicious, relaxing meal because your children could play in the sand right by the pier.

Update 2/20/18: We are sad to learn that Calmos suffered significant damage from Hurricane Irma and is closed.  We hope they will be able to reopen.

Tartare sampler and a tropical salad, right on Grand Case beach. - "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
Tartare sampler and a tropical salad, right on Grand Case beach.

Le Tastevin (Now Permanently Closed)

We had a wonderful meal overlooking the Grand Case beach at Le TasteVin St. Martin.  It is a small French restaurant that feels family run.  They usually have several daily specials but we just ordered off the regular menu. 

There were a lot of great options so we decided to share a few things.  The scallops were presented beautifully and tasted good too.  We did save room to have a chocolate cake for dessert.  Our waiter made the extra effort to make sure we were having a nice meal.   This is definitely one of the best restaurants in Grand Case, St. Martin.

Unfortunately, this St. Martin restaurant has closed permanently.

The scallops were delicious! - "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
The scallops were delicious!

La Belle Epoque

La Belle Epoque is located in the small marina in Marigot.  There is a parking lot close by the Marigot restaurants, but you should watch out for sketchy characters (even during the daytime).  We came to this restaurant on both of our trips to St. Martin, each time after we did our hiking in St. Martin.   

The first time we went, we ordered way too much food because there are so many good options on the menu.  The second time we went, we had to get the beef tartare again.  It was really refreshing after hiking in the heat.  We also ordered the burger topped with duck and brie, another really delicious dish. 

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The beef tartare here is so good. It's hard to really tell in this picture, but the portion is huge! - "Our Five Favorite St. Martin Restaurants" - Two Traveling Texans
The beef tartare here is so good. It’s hard to really tell in this picture, but the portion is huge!
Burger topped with duck and brie and of course lots of fries. No room for the salad....- "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
Burger topped with duck and brie and of course lots of fries. No room for the salad….

Ocean 82

Ocean 82 is another Grand Case restaurant, but we think the food and atmosphere really set it apart from the rest.  It is right on the water, so if you time your dinner right you can enjoy the sunset.  They also had a nice price fix menu.  We had them split it for us and it was still enough food.   

The summer roll that was our starter was tasty and refreshing.  For our main course, we had a seafood soup with a coconut broth, which was excellent.  The soufflé for dessert was the perfect end to what was our last dinner in St. Martin.

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Seafood in a coconut broth, so good! - "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
Seafood in a coconut broth, so good!
Souffle for dessert - "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
Souffle for dessert

Lolos

You may also be looking for more budget-friendly options for some meals in St. Martin.  One popular more affordable option is a lolo, which is basically a bbq stand.  You can find lolos along the roads, but there are also a few in Grand Case.   

We tried Talk of the Town St. Martin.  I had shrimp and Anisa had the mahi-mahi.  We also tried a johnny cake, a local specialty.  I would say the food was average but since it is part of the St. Martin culture, it is worth trying at least once.

Mahi-Mahi with a side of plantains - "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
Mahi-Mahi with a side of plantains
Johnny cake - it's fried bread - "Our Five Favorite Restaurants in St Martin" - Two Traveling Texans
Johnny cake – it’s fried bread

Grocery Stores in St. Maarten

Also, if you are staying at a vacation rental like we did, you might want to go to one of the grocery stores.  Super Marche would be our preferred option.  It is located on the French side and has a lot of great French specialties – i.e. wine and cheese – at pretty reasonable prices.

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We bought the sampler packs of cheese so we could try three different kinds.  We were able to repackage the cheeses so that they lasted for multiple breakfasts and snacks.  Additionally, we bought crackers, bread, sliced meats, and an olive tapenade. 

Each morning we had a delicious breakfast on the balcony overlooking Orient Beach.  This was perhaps one of my favorite memories of the trip – what a relaxing way to start each morning (did I mention that a glass or two of champagne was also a part of our breakfast ritual?).

Whatever you decide, with a little research, it is hard to go wrong with the food in St. Martin, so come hungry!  We especially loved the St. Martin seafood.  While there are wonderful restaurants throughout the island, there are also some that serve generic bar food or casual dining meals (especially outside Grand Case).  It would be a shame to waste a meal at one of these establishments when there are plenty of fantastic options for food in St. Maarten.

Have you had any St. Martin meals that you have really enjoyed? What do you think are the best places to eat in St. Maarten?

We would love to hear about it in the comments.

-Katherine

Expert Tips for SXM Restaurants

  • Try as many St. Martin restaurants as possible – so many great options.
  • Share meals as the portions are often pretty large.
  • Bring dollars as you may be able to save on the exchange rate if you have cash.
  • Bring your own bags to the grocery store – otherwise, they will charge you.
  • If you need a large shopping cart at the supermarket, you will need a euro coin to unlock it– which you will get back once you return the shopping cart.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  This means we will receive a small commission for some purchases made using links in our blog with no additional cost to you.  Please be assured we would not promote any product unless we believe that our readers will also benefit.  The commission does not influence the editorial content of this site.

 

Last Updated on June 17, 2022

About the Author

Katherine co-founded Two Traveling Texans. She is an experienced traveler and loyal sports fan. When she is not traveling Katherine works as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) specializing in tax compliance and consulting. She volunteers with both the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Junior League of Houston.

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